To Melt A Frozen Heart
by Hikari-flowerx
Summary: On a late night stroll through the city of Domino, Marik spots a homeless man, raggedy and shivering. Marik leaves the man, guilty that he did nothing to help. The two cross paths again and Marik takes the man home, nurses him back to health, and soon finds himself attached to the stranger called Bakura, whose heart is that of ice. Can that frozen heart ever be melted?


**Greetings readers, and welcome to _To Melt A Frozen Heart. _Now, as a side note, this is my first fanfic on here, not to mention the first one I've done in a very long time. Matter of fact, I never intended to publish anything on here, but due to my recent obsession with Thiefshipping fanfics I've decided to do one for myself to see if I'm cut out for it xD **

**In any case, I'd like to note that I'm not always the best at keeping characters, well...in character, so I apologize if either Bakura or Marik seem different (Bakura will seem OOC for his short time in this chapter, but it's for a decent reason I swear). They are NOT based off of the Abridged Series personalities and the setting is set in an AU. I'm not sure whether I'll include mature content yet. I don't see it happening with this one, but who knows what kinds of evil ideas I'll concoct ;D Anyways, hope you like it! Please do not feel intimidated to give a review, I appreciate and welcome criticism :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Marik and Bakura belong to (c) Kazuki Takahashi. **

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Chapter 1 ~

The frigid breath of the harsh winter stabbed at Marik's unclothed face as he pressed on through the snow which made a crunching sound underneath his boots. He shuddered as the icy spears of cold made contact with his tanned skin. He hated winter. It was something he was unaccustomed to, for back in Egypt, his home country, winter was merely nonexistent and snow, a myth. How badly he wished he were there now, sweating under the rays of the sun's thick warmness.

His apartment, in essence, was close to the university, but seemed to be miles away in the cold. Marik was nearly there, and he was entirely thankful for it.

He entered through the door of his apartment and quickly shut the door behind him, not wanting the chilliness to follow him inside as well. Marik removed his snow-covered boots at the door and stepped into the kitchen, flicking all the light switches on the entire way. His apartment was chilly, but not nearly as brutal as outside. He set down his backpack on the table and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before taking a seat himself. The cold had severely dehydrated him and he sighed as his thirst was quenched. "Time for the after-school school," he sighed tiredly, "Exams, exams, exams—so many of them now. " Marik pulled out his notebooks and began scanning over them, unhappy about the subject matter. Math, in any and every form, was not his strong subject whatsoever. The amount of complicated formulas and the processes of how some worked in unison and others didn't mind-boggled him. Back in Egypt, he had only needed to know the basics. He had been a tomb keeper, a protector of the Pharaoh, back in Egypt and knowing advanced mathematics was deemed a useless skill. He was far behind his peers in that category, yet excelled them in almost every other.

Marik glanced at the paper with a blank expression. He would've given up a long time ago, but the constant reminder that his siblings were paying for college rang in the back of his mind. He couldn't let them down, no, he had done that far too many times before. Getting a high paying career was Marik's way of making up for the past mistakes and heartbreak that he'd caused. Yes, coming to Japan had changed him for what he hoped was for the better.

An hour had passed of getting nowhere in his studies. He was becoming highly uninterested and his mind began to wander without his permission. He thought about where his life was going, what it was exactly that he was working towards. His sister, Ishizu, had wanted him to become a doctor; his brother, to be a lawyer. Marik really had no interest in either though both paid well. He really hadn't much an interest in anything. Being forced to live underground for most of his childhood, Marik never had really developed hobbies outside of reading and writing, which he was required to do. Although he was glad to break away from his lonely, empty life as a tomb keeper, he found the world outside of his sheltered comfort zone was a dark and ruthless place.

It was his first year of college, nothing but the basics, so he had some time to decide which path he wanted to take towards his future, but not nearly enough to find himself first. The transfer to a new culture, away from what he had known his entire life, was rather difficult for him to swallow.

Marik lived alone, it was his first time being his own and he wasn't quite used to the solitude. He had always been with his brother and sister and despite how obnoxious the two of them could be, he missed their company. He had started college a month ago but still felt unadjusted to his new "adult life." He doubted that he'd ever get used to it.

Marik, feeling the drowsiness from his own thoughts overcome him, closed his notebooks and stumbled onto the couch. It was worn, some rips and tears here and there, but it was nothing less than comfortable. _I just need to rest my eyes for a minute. Only a minute, and then I'll return to my studies. _A minute however, turned into hours and before Marik realized it, the aqua-colored sky turned into a midnight tint.

Marik awoke in a panic and cursed when he noticed the time: 7:30. He had slept nearly four hours to his disappointment. He stood up instantly and as he did, his stomach roared commandingly. He was starving; he hadn't eaten all day nor yesterday since he could hardly afford it. Upon opening the fridge, he sighed frustratingly at the sight of barren shelves and drawers. _I can't go two days without food, _Marik thought, sighing to himself, _Ishizu would go off the deep end if she knew I wasn't eating. I'm already "dangerously thin" according to the doctors here, even though this is pretty much the norm where I'm from. Whatever, a convenience store isn't too far from here anyways. I'll just grab some instant noodles or whatever they're called. Ramen I think? _

The night, much to Marik's distaste, had only cooled the air even more, but he was thankful that the weather was at least clear. He ventured down the street, cringing each time a gust of wind swept up.

The convenience store was quiet and nearly empty, just how Marik liked it. He quickly gathered some ramen packets and fresh vegetables and approached the checkout. He hadn't much money left over, even after buying such cheap items. He braced himself for the arctic temperatures as he stood in front of the sliding exit doors, adjusting his scarf and pulling the hood of his coat over his brightly blonde hair.

He traveled the way he came, ensuring that he wouldn't get lost. This time however, he was on the the opposite side of the road from whence he came. As he walked on, he heard a tiny, squeaking voice coming from somewhere close. Marik traced the sound to a narrow alleyway and, as he approached closer, spotted a silvery-haired individual next to a little black kitten as it mewed out. Marik had figured it to be a woman due to the length of hair, but was taken aback when a masculine voice spoke up. "There, there," he said as the cat rubbed up against his shaky hands, "This is all I have for today." He held an anchovy to the kitten, which accepted it humbly. It devoured its meal within seconds and happily meowed to the man as a way of saying 'thank you.' The man smiled as he rubbed under its chin, "I'll try to bring you back something tomorrow too." Marik stared in awe at the man as he sat up against the side of a building that partially built his alleyway. It was painfully obvious that he was homeless. His black jacket was filled holes, the ends of the sleeves were shredded and rotting like the rest of his clothing.

He huddled his body together, his every breath visible in the frosty air. He began to wheeze uncontrollably which struck a feeling inside of Marik. One he wasn't comfortable having. Sympathy. He wanted to help this man, but how? What could he do? Marik reached in his coat pocket, but thought briefly about his siblings, who send him money each week until a job opportunity would arise, and stopped. He was broke, his siblings were broke, and this man was especially poor. He couldn't give what he didn't have. Marik peered down at the brown bag in his hand, filled with dinner items. _I need those. I can't starve myself, I'm already thin enough right? _Marik felt a tightening in his chest. Was there really nothing he could do? _Should I bring him home with me? No, I can't; I'd get kicked out of the college housing if they knew I brought an outsider to the campus. Besides, who knows what kind of person he is. He could be dangerous. _Marik hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue past. He wanted to help, he truly did, but he himself was limited.

Marik arrived home, exhausted by the journey. He made up the noodles and slurped it down hungrily, feeling an instant pang of guilt as he stared at the empty cup, dyed yellow by the broth. It was half past eight and Marik knew that he still had studying to do, but his mind was far too filled with unpleasant thoughts to study, especially for a subject he hated. Marik took a warm bath and readied himself for bed, the man continuously parading his mind. After a half hour of laying in bed thinking, Marik decided that he would try to help the man tomorrow if he were still there. He had bought enough groceries to last him until the weekend when he'd get his weekly check from his siblings, even if that meant skipping a meal or two, Marik wanted to help.

He knew all too well what it was like being homeless when he and his siblings had first come to Domino. Although it was for a very short time, he had lived it.

Marik closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly, his mind at peace with his decision.


End file.
